And Evan is in jail, about to go on trial for an entire checklist of costs, together with tried homicide, as a result of I used to be within the constructing when he set the fireplace. He’s in numerous hassle. And my mother? Effectively, my dad bought her off, which didn’t shock me in any respect, however I’ll by no means communicate to both of them ever once more.

“What are we doing out right here?” I ask with a frown. “Do it is advisable get one thing?”

“One thing,” he says with a wink and pushes out of the truck. Lily wiggles on the seat subsequent to me. She loves being out on the ranch. Chase walks round to open my door, and after I’m out, he lifts Lily out and units her on the bottom, taking her leash.

She’s by no means off of her leash once we’re out right here, although she’s an excellent lady and comes when known as. There’s an excessive amount of wildlife, and I don’t know what I’d do with out this little canine.

“Isn’t your loved ones anticipating us?”

Chase smiles down at me as he leads me towards the dock. “They’ll wait. Brady can maintain off on consuming all of the goddamn turkey for twenty minutes.”

“I don’t know…Brady can put the meals away.”

Chase chuckles, and once we attain the tip of the dock, he turns to me and pulls me into his arms for an extended, tight hug.

There may be nothing on this world as fabulous as this, as being in Chase’s arms within the place meaning a lot to each of us. I find it irresistible out right here. I hope, at some point, Chase would possibly ask me to reside right here with him.

“I find it irresistible out right here,” I murmur as I gaze out over the lake and to the mountains past. The tops of these mountains are coated with snow now, and it received’t be lengthy earlier than we’ll have snow that sticks within the valley, as effectively. “It simply feels so good.”

“Does it really feel like house?” he asks and pulls away to look at me with critical hazel eyes.

I look again to the lake, to the bushes and mountains, and nod. “Yeah, it does. I believe it has since that first day you introduced me out right here and confirmed it to me. Are you going to ask me to reside right here with you when the home is finished?”

He grins and tucks my hair behind my ear.

“Effectively, that’s a part of it, completely. However I would like greater than that.” He appears to be like round us, on the property behind us, and gestures.

I flip to look the place he’s pointing and gasp. “An eagle.”

We watch because the chicken circles after which sits on an evergreen tree, watching.

“It’s not after Lily, is it? For lunch?” I look down on the canine sitting at our toes with concern.

Chase laughs. “No, Lily’s too large, nevertheless it is likely to be in search of fish.” He wraps his arms round me from behind and kisses my neck. “The home might be proper there, hopefully by the tip of summer time.”

“However I believed you had been going to construct it your self, and that takes time. Are you pondering of hiring a contractor?”

“I’ve already employed one. I’m impatient,” he says and kisses the highest of my head. “I wish to be out right here sooner somewhat than later. I constructed the store, and that’s adequate for me. We’ll additionally construct that greenhouse you talked about, proper over there.”

“And a vegetable backyard subsequent to it,” I add, picturing all of it completely in my head. “I’ll need numerous flowerpots on the porch. It’s a wraparound porch, proper?”

“After all. We now have to have the ability to sit out and take a look at the view, and there are views throughout us.”

I grin and nod in settlement. A deer wanders out of the woods and appears our means, chewing on his meals. Chase and I keep nonetheless, watching as he continues again into the forest. Lily didn’t even discover him, in any other case, she would have barked. “Oh, my gosh, I didn’t even understand that there are huckleberry bushes about twenty toes away from the place the home might be. You’re not planning on taking these out, are you?”

“Uh, that’s sacrilegious,” he says with a chuckle. “No, I plan to place a grassy yard in on the opposite facet for Lily to run round and do her enterprise. And children, in fact. I’ll put in swings, possibly a trampoline.”

“Youngsters?” I lean again so I can gaze up at him in shock. “Youngsters?”

“Two or three.” He nods, nonetheless trying on the property, as if it’s already taking place, proper earlier than his eyes. “We don’t should go loopy and have 5 like my dad and mom did. However you probably have your coronary heart set on an enormous household, I can reside with that.”

“Chase, we haven’t even constructed the home but.”

He turns me round as soon as extra so he can look down into my eyes, and now his face sobers, as if he’s about to get right down to critical enterprise.

“After I consider all of this stuff, the home, the yard, the view, the youngsters…you’re in each image, Summer time. I can’t envision any of this with out you. You’re the middle. You’re the explanation for all the pieces, together with each breath I take. I really like you a lot.”

He bends his knee and kneels in entrance of me. Lily wags her complete physique and lifts her entrance finish as much as kiss Chase on the face.

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